Disclaimer: Eyeshield is an original master-piece created by Riichirou Inagaki and Yusuke Murata.

Summary: After meeting Eyeshield 21, Shin Seijurou felt his abilities were still lacking and to overcome this, he started to train even harder, at the same time, he meets a red-haired girl from his class who seems to be particularly interested on Oujou White Knights and a unexpected bond was formed between those two…? A romance between a training geek and the daughter of the coach?!

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Chapter 01: Daughter

Shin Seijurou never was a talkative man, not even as a child. That reserved, calm manner might be what was so amusing about him. Even being known as the ace of the team, he never once boasted about himself, instead, he would train even harder and reach higher levels. He was undeniable the star of the team, maybe not the only one.

But, on that day, he didn't feel like a star, or as the winner or the great player people told he was… Right in front of him an unsettling scene unraveled.

His widened, bewildered eyes could only see the scarlet hair flowing in front of him like fire, he almost grasped that blaze, but before that, the girl was rolling down the small cliff to the lakeshore, along with a motorcycle and its rider as the last rays of the orange sunlight colored the sunset behind them, all of it in a slow motion.

Was he a second faster like the Eyeshield 21, he would be able to grab that person and cease her fall. Had he born with the same fast reflexes as Agon, he'd be able to react on time. Had he noticed it earlier, he would be able to impede that tragedy, if he was…

"Shizuka…"

It was so frustrating… His stretched hand would never reach before she fell, just like he couldn't catch up with Kobayakawa Sena's speed. He had been training to overcome his weakness, but, he wasn't ready…

His eyes were fixed on the scene. He thought that in the school, on that place no one cared… Then, he met Shoji Gunpei, his coach, and Sakuraba and other teammates who respected him… It seems the list of people who worried about him was increasing, much to his surprise, even when he couldn't understand the reasons for it to be happening…Yet …Why…

Why did it happen?

. . .

Two months and a half ago

. . .

"Huh… Shin," the boy calling him was the closest person to what he could call a 'best friend', even though he didn't talk much with the boy to begin with. "Hey."

He called once more and the response came with Shin looking directly at Sakuraba who seemed troubled about something. His brows were raised in a way he looked unsure of what to do, even more when his black-haired companion had that stern and rough traits sculpted on face.

"Do you have a spare pen? I forgot mine and the test will begin soon…"

"…." It only took him some seconds to answer, almost as if he was analyzing the results of his answer at that moment "I don't."

As expected, Sakuraba was more troubled. Just why had he forgotten his belongings on the day of the surprise test? The teacher would come soon with the tests on hands. To soothe his anxiousness, a helping hand appeared on his sight, lending him a pen.

"Here. You can have mine."

The owner of that placid voice was a seemingly common girl from his class. Well, not that common, her hair was long and had a beautiful scarlet color, her gentle round eyes were honey colored, and it remembered him of the manager of Deimon's devil bats for some reason. He accepted the pen hesitantly, even though they were from the same class there was nothing particularly special about her, she was beautiful and had a well-draw body with accentuated curves that her uniform could not hide completely, but he didn't have time to pay attention to it now that he engaged on the training.

"Ah, thank you…"

She smiled briefly and calmly took her seat, which was behind Shin. The young idol remembered her name, Shizuka, was it? That's why she sat there, their class' desks were ordered accordingly to the initials of their names, but shouldn't it be ordered accordingly to their surnames? What was her surname…? Before he could put a deep thought about his regular classmate, the teacher finally came back to the classroom with the surprise tests prepared.

.

.

.

Sakuraba sighed, being a second year and keeping the studies parallel with the rigorous training of Shoji Gunpei was not a joke. He and Shin were going to the football clubroom. Their only important schedule for the day was that damn test and after this, they had a vague period before lunch time, which means they were going to train like their lives depended on that.

"I feel like this year will be like a living hell…" the young receiver casted a discreet side glance to his lone friend "How can this guy get high grades on tests? He trains so much I doubt he has lots of free time of study…"

He thought a bitterly since he couldn't surpass that genius in absolutely any aspect. His thoughts were irrupted when a familiar voice called them:

"Ah, Shin-san, Sakuraba-san…" she beckoned.

It was the same girl from before. Seeing her from a close perspective, she was smaller than he thought, her height didn't even reach his shoulder. If he wasn't accustomed to Wakana, their manager who was also tiny, he'd be surprised.

"You're Shizuka-san, right?" he scratched his face a bit nervous, since he couldn't remember her surname.

"Yes." She smiled briefly "Are you going to the clubroom?"

"You mean the football's clubroom?" that was a rhetorical question, but the young idol felt it could be necessary to test if she knew they were part of the famous club or if she was mistaking something there. "Huh… Yes, we have training scheduled."

"Ah, can I accompany you? Actually I have some things to do at the clubroom too…"

This time, there was a reaction sketched on Shin's face too, he seemed a bit puzzled. Sakuraba raised a brow. What would she want to do in the clubroom? The only female member there was Wakana and he doubted she had a connection with their manager, then… Was she a fan of some players or something like that? No, worse than that, was she one of those crazy stalker fans who persecuted him? He felt a chill on his spine thinking she could be like the last fan that chased him and almost invaded his house.

He got so distracted with his thoughts he only noticed that Shin and the girl were already walking ahead when he listened part of their conversation:

"Huh… Coach Gunpei is very strict with the training, right?" she asked with some sort of concern on her voice casting a sidelong glance to him.

"In order to grow stronger, we need to endeavor. There's nothing strange about it." Shin's response was collected and very precise, as always.

Sakuraba caught up to them in a minute, and walked silently while observing the strange girl who seemed to be very tranquil and oblivious to his distrust. When they opened the doors to the training room, most of the third years were already exercising, the coach wasn't around, but their manager was taking care of some errands and taking some notes about their performance.

Shizuka stopped by the entrance and beckoned to Wakana. A bright smile appeared on the lips of the young manager of the team, she immediately approached. Sakuraba finally solved his doubts, she was a friend of Wakana, not a stalker… It was a relief …

"Here, Koharu-chan, I brought what you asked…" the brown-haired smiled too, picking a magazine out of her school bag and handling it to the manager.

"So, it was only an exchange of girl's issues…" Sakuraba sighed once more, until his eyes focused on the magazine.

It was a football magazine. Wait, wait, why would a girl like her be carrying a magazine like that? Was she a passionate fan of American football? No, surely it wasn't the case, her personality just didn't match.

"I'm sorry to make you come all the way here to do this sort of job, Shizucchi… I talked to coach, but he was busy today…" Wakana apologized.

"Don't worry, that's not a hard job, after all…"

This time, Takami, the quarterback approached and greeted the newcomer, as if he already knew her:

"Shizuka-chan, you came today too… Coach must be very busy…" the adjusted his glasses as some drops of sweat from his arduous training dripped.

"He will finish his business soon, but if you need anything, just tell me, I'll make sure to tell him properly."

Shin was occupied with his training, but Sakuraba was quite curious to find out how the girl from his class knew his senpai and the manager of his team, more than that, from her words, did she know his coach too?

"Hey, don't slack! We're watching you!" some of his senpais lectured him and he immediately concentrated on his train.

When Shizuka left, all he had on mind were riddles to solve, however, he doubted he would be getting an answer now.

"Hey, Takami, that girl… Does she come here often?" the Jaripro star asked, and his interest extracted a brief smile from the quarterback of his team.

"Hehe… She is from your class and you don't even know that? Shin, you should have noticed it too…" his gaze landed on the ace of their team, but the black-haired linebacker seemed completely lost on that affirmation. "Seriously, you guys… Can you only think about football?" the quarterback shrugged his shoulders with the pitiful situation.

"W-what's wrong? Only because she sits behind Shin, that doesn't mean we talk often…"

"Well, if you really value your life, you shouldn't pry on her identity, I'd say…" the quarterback had a malign expression making his words not sound like a joke like he meant to be.

The young idol gulped feeling uneasiness. With more doubts in the air, he focused on his train, irritated. What was so special about that plain girl after all? On the other hand, when he watched Shin's disinterest on the matter, he felt he should just follow the example and forget about it.

.

.

.

The next day, Shizuka greeted them before she took a seat, Sakuraba beckoned friendly, and Shin bowed slight, but he looked a bit confused, staring at her.

"Ah… Here he comes again, I almost forgot he has difficult in recognizing people's faces… He must not remember her…" the young brown-haired got serious trouble because of his friend's idiosyncrasies.

Now that she was close, it was the time to finally solve her doubts, but how should he ask her about her relationship with the team members and the coach?

"Hum… Shizuka-san… Isn't it…?" Sakuraba tried to pull a dialogue, although it really sounded strange.

"Yes…?" she was always gentle and he really didn't want to bother her, but, his curiosity was bigger.

"Sorry to call you by your name like that…" he scratched his head feeling that he should be more respectful, but she only smiled kindly in response:

"That's not a problem at all. I understand."

"Well…You seem to be very fond of American football…" at the time, he was sitting supporting his chin on the back of his chair. "Takami and Wakana know you and you even was talking about Shogun… I didn't know a classmate of mine was so close to the football club…"

"Huh? Didn't you know?" she chuckled as if he had told something funny, a joke he definitely failed to comprehend "I guess so… Takami-san and Koharu-chan know me since last year, when I entered the school, so it's not strange… But…" she chuckled again. "Well, for the coach, it's a special case…"

"Special case…?" he raised a brow.

"Yes, I can't blame you, people tell me often I don't resemble him any bit…" she wrote something on her notebook and showed it to Sakuraba.

"This is the reading of my name: Shoji Shizuka"

"Shoji… Ah…" his eyes gradually widened open and almost popped out, his chair clattered when he suddenly moved his body backwards in astonishment "Wait, Shoji…?! Like…in Shoji Gunpei?!" he was flabbergasted. "Don't tell me, you're…"

"I'm coach's Gunpei youngest daughter… Shoji Shizuka…"

Sakuraba was wordless, anyone in the world would find a trace of her that reminded her father, she took utterly after the mother, probably. Moreover, did she say youngest daughter? Does it mean he had more than one daughter?! It was already hard to imagine coach having a child, more than it was simply absurd. Gunpei was a man full of mysteries.

Even Shin who was usually abstract about their conversation was now paying close attention, although he did not say a word. Of course he should be shocked, it was what Sakuraba thought. Underneath his apathetic expression he must be full of questions to ask too.

However, he finally understood the situation: it wasn't related to her being fond of American football, but her father was the coach of Oujou! She knew the senpais because she must have met them before and he was running some errands for coach under his own request. Incredible enough, she didn't seem the least interested in American football.

He felt pretty pathetic for not knowing that the daughter of the coach had a seat right behind him and Shin and they haven't pay attention to it for like, one year!

"I thought you were a fan of football…"

"Well, it's not like I'm not interested, I know one or two things since my father loves it so much…"

"I've never seen you in the games before…" Sakuraba commented.

"Ah…" there was a subtle reaction, he thought he had seen a crackle on her usual smile, but it was so fast he considered it was a wrong impression. "I've heard from Takami-san that both you and Shin-san are stars of the team…"

"Huh…" he took a brief glance to his classmate that seemed occupied writing some notes "I'm not that famous, I still have lots to improve, Shin is…"

"Everyone has to train equally hard." Shin broke their conversation with a single phrase and stared at his friend, maybe he meant to give some support and a vote of trust, yet the young idol didn't seem to understand fully his intentions.

"No, he's being humble again, coach has been more strict to him since he entered the team… He got the hardest training schedule ever and didn't complain a bit about it…" Sakuraba couldn't help but feel impressed on how modest his companion could be, should he consider him an honored man or a training addicted?

"I see, so he is being equally severe to everyone." Her smile had a worried tone when she said that.

Not after much, the class started. She seemed to be a good girl, but he still couldn't believe she was the daughter of the strictest man he knew on his life. Just by remembering the first months of train when he was a first year, he had headaches, and like an ironical contrast, his daughter was beautiful and very gentle.

On the same day, during the sunset, Shin left the school grounds to run around the area, his posture never changed and his disinterest on issues that were not related to his beloved football was carved into his face.

Someone passed by him swiftly, and he could listen perfectly when something dropped on the ground, the thud was heavy. He stopped and turned for a moment. There were some books scattered on the ground, and someone familiar. Not that he remembered clearly her face, but he could tell from her voice:

"Huh… How did it happen?" Shizuka was squatted down, looking at the rip off on the bottom of her school bag "Weird…" she frowned in puzzlement.

"….."

Shin squatted down too and helped picking the books, while she organized the books supporting the pile on her right arm.

"Shin-san… Were you training?"

"Yes…"

After his blank response, she was giving attention to her problem again and a strange silence installed until she mumbled:

"Hum… I'm still wondering how it happened…"

She raised a brow looking at the bag from many angles, but no matter how she analyzed, it didn't look like it was tear apart naturally. There was a well-drawn cut opened, it was surely made by a sharp object.

Shin picked a paper that had fallen, it was a notebook's paper sheet with a terrible handwrite. He stalled for a moment when his eyes read the message on the paper, Shizuka only noticed there was something wrong when he stood there for some seconds without proffering a word, with a deep knot on his eyebrows.

"Huh? Was it inside my bag too?" she quickly stole the paper from his hands, and he got startled, staring as if waiting for her reaction. "What is it? I don't remember putting it-"

Her eyes froze in place when she read the message. That was clearly a threat, beside the fact there was a terrible handwriting and she couldn't understand properly the words, the message was about making he pay for approaching "their" handsome and sweet idol Sakuraba.

"Ah, so it was his fan club or something like that?" strangely enough, the calmness on her voice remained the same as she creased the paper, like it didn't matter at all, putting it among the pile of books to discard later "Well, well…" she frowned like she had received a revelation, but even her irritated face didn't seem the least intimidating or really angry like it was supposed to be "Then, they were the ones who did it to my schoolbag…"

"…. You should tell it to Sakuraba." He suggested in a disinterested tone, but Shizuka gestured immediately:

"Ah, no, no… You don't need to tell him too… He probably isn't even aware about this, don't worry him… This sort of bullying works only if the person really gets annoyed, but I frankly couldn't care less… Anyways, I'll deal with it properly later…" she sighed "Don't tell it to him, right?" she clasped her hands together in a plead "Good luck on your training."

Without giving further explanations, she beckoned, leaving with the wind. And the lone player continued to run, maybe that was a very silly encounter, and neither of them were aware at the time, but soon, in a close future, something would change for both of them.

Two months and a half left until that accident happened… How did it end in a situation like that, where the daughter of their coach was trapped into a life and death situation?